A photograph by Maxine Helfman (b.1952) from her series "RECAST(e)ING THE FUTURE."

2042 might be one of the most talked-about years ever: the year white will become the minority in the United States. Artist and photographer, Maxine Helfman highlights this prediction in her recent work titled, “RECAST(e)ING THE FUTURE.” Though Helfman had a late-start to her career, she found her vision and definitive purpose for her artwork—dismantling cultural norms surrounding race and power.

"RECAST(e)ING THE FUTURE" will be on view with Elle Shushan at this year’s Philadelphia Show, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary, from April 29 to May 1.

How do you challenge cultural norms through your photography?

Cultural norms are an implied set of standards that societies use to guide behavior, varying by countries and regions and one’s owned lived experiences. Influenced by history, they fluctuate over time as societies change, and are slowly replaced. These are merely human constructs-man made ideas. But we become used to them and they seep in and steadily become social norms unconsciously and without question until there is a disruption. My photography fuses historical narrative with current issues as a tangible reference to begin a “new” conversation about the “old” constructs. In the series Recast(e)ing the Future, we simultaneously look forwards and backwards. These images and conversations, repeated over time become imprinted, and hopefully will slowly create a new set of beliefs replacing the ones we were accustomed to. My work is created with the intention of that disruption.

You often look to the past, drawing on historical art forms (as with Historical Correction). What drove you to instead look to the future—2042, the year that demographers expect white will become the minority in the US, to be exact?

History is a set of events revealed in retrospect and offers us insight. While we have no way to predict events that will alter our future, demographics offer us a view based on population shift and the issues associated with it. The series Recast(e)ing the Future looks at racial inequality referencing the year 2042, when, according to the census data, white skin tone will no longer be the paramount race or majority in the United States as it is around the globe.

And I think that as we prepare for what demographers predict to be one of the largest shifts in our country’s history, we will need to address the structural changes that will affect peoples’ lives. By dispelling stereotypes, my work addresses inequality, an issue we will have to understand to better help us structure the needs in a changing society.

The overlay reads as a literal disruption of dominant historical narratives. How did you decide to use this overlay technique for the series, and what do you hope to achieve with this approach?

For this series, the use of an overlay represents transition, a population and society in flux, a merging of past and present. Disruption of population and the changing of cultural norms is a slow process. In these overlays is a visual reconciling of history we have yet to resolve. While the saying goes “time heals all wounds”, time alone does not heal trauma or inequity, that remains work to be done. We are a visual species and seeing things presented right in front of us, in a dignified (and even beautiful way) allows the brain to accept it. Art is a great platform for absorbing the difficult things and accepting them. Artists have used their art in revolt for centuries. But somehow the viewer takes it in more easily than if they were receiving the same message at a protest rally.

You’re a self-taught photographer. Do you think this grants you another level of freedom and experimentation in your work?

As a self-taught photographer, I have been able to approach my work with freedom of thought and process rather than a learned set of boundaries. Each project calls for its own specific solution. Rather than a predetermined concept, I follow my intuition, embracing the moment and allowing the work to reveal itself. There are no formal/rigorous rules to rely on. In some ways it’s frightening- I am making it up as I go - with no set criteria to follow. Frightening and exciting all at once. I often reflect back on a quote I read in an article titled “Why I Write”, in it the great writer Joan Didion explained, “I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means”. Using portraiture, creating these works allows me to reconcile with issues I find troubling in an attempt to more fully examine them. My portraits aim at addressing issues that reappear again and again throughout history such as race and gender inequality or self-identification and the lack of inclusion.

You’ve expressed interest in the ways in which the brain perceives an image. Do you ever worry about a complete misinterpretation of your work; a lapse in connection between artist and viewer?

What is art if not to allow the viewer to engage and have their own dialog? The work I create is intentionally challenging, yes and so ripe for much interpretation. Picasso said “Great art makes you feel your feelings.” I have no problem with my art deriving a guttural response. I keep the images sparse and uncluttered to eliminate distraction. Beneath the portraits are layers of complexity. Beyond the aesthetic beauty of the portrait is a confrontation. Using a connection to history, costume, posture and light to dispel stereotypes, the true power is in the gaze. The eye contact, whether direct or indirect, establishes an emotional connection that becomes difficult to break or turn away from. The viewer's exchange with the subject’s gaze is what’s important here. One human engaging with another - and then the dialogue begins....It affords us the opportunity to stare, confronting what we might be uncomfortable with. We are less likely to “other” after experiencing a one on one encounter and connection.

What kind of intervention do you hope to make with this series?

Intervention is an act of disruption, creating space for another possibility. Change requires an introduction to a new way of thinking and seeing people in a new way - and then we see ourselves that way. Through time and repetition, we become accustomed to social change. Through the power of art, we can produce a tangible reference that provokes a further conversation. Recast(e)ing the Future is an attempt to look forward while not minimizing the past.